Postcards

Career advice from Most Powerful Women

FORTUNE -- Last week's Fortune Most Powerful Women dinner in Manhattan convened established stars, like Martha Stewart and Barbara Walters, with rising stars, like Chelsea Clinton and Barbara Bush. Two daughters of political dynasties converging in the same orbit.

And then there were 26 rising-star women from across the developing world--each a participant in the Fortune-U.S. State Department Global Women Leaders Mentoring program. These young women were in the U.S. shadowing MORE

What's next at Yahoo? Layoffs

by Patricia Sellers

While rumors keep swirling about Yahoo (YHOO) merging with AOL (AOL) in a deal that would include private equity, don't hold your breath. A source close to Yahoo told me today that neither AOL nor private equity buyers have contacted the company to discuss a potential deal.

Meanwhile, Yahoo news that should transpire sooner: layoffs. Sources tell me that Yahoo next week plans to announce 10% cuts in the MORE

Why Morgan Stanley's Meeker is moving to Silicon Valley

by Patricia Sellers

When Internet analyst Mary Meeker announced at Morgan Stanley's Monday morning meeting today that she's leaving to become a venture capitalist at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, most people were surprised.

But to those who know Meeker, the so-called Queen of the 'Net since the late '90s, her move from Wall Street to Silicon Valley is a long time coming.

I mentioned this "rumor" (will Meeker leave Morgan Stanley to MORE

Big job shifts for top women

By Patricia Sellers

Lots of movement in the Most Powerful Women space. A Friday wrap-up....

Hearst Magazine chairman Cathie Black surprised the world--and people close to her too--by accepting a job as Chancellor of New York City schools. It's not so shocking that Mayor Mike Bloomberg would hire her--they're friends, and she is, like him, a strong manager although one who's inexperienced in education.  Joel Klein, Black's predecessor, also was inexperienced in MORE

Google's Marissa Mayer on her dinner for the President

By Patricia Sellers

At 35, Marissa Mayer is the youngest person ever to make Fortune's Most Powerful Women list. Clearly, she isn't slowing down.

Last week, over dinner in Silicon Valley, Mayer told me about her new job at Google (GOOG). The company's first female engineer and until recently its VP of Search Products and User Experience, Mayer is now overseeing Google's local and location services--key to its growth strategy. In addition MORE

Why online games aren't stupid

The buzz at Fortune Brainstorm Tech last weekend, as I mentioned in Monday's Postcard, was much about the power of online games. Google (GOOG), Walt Disney (DIS), and lots of startup folks view social games as a most efficient pathway to getting active Internet users to spend money online.

So, what do you know, a bunch of social-game deals are making headlines this week. Fortune.com's JP Mangalindan and I co-wrote a MORE

Takeaways from Fortune Brainstorm Tech

by Patricia Sellers

I'm back from Brainstorm Tech in Aspen. Among the CEOs at Fortune's three-day confab: Ursula Burns of Xerox (XRX), Barry Diller of IAC (IACI), Tim Armstrong of AOL (AOL), Bobby Kotick of Activision Blizzard (ATVI), and Susan Lyne of Gilt Group.

I saw plenty that excited me (Flipboard for the iPad is cool, and I downloaded it right away), but I also heard lots that made my head spin. MORE

Africa's growth vehicle: Women

By Patricia Sellers

Besides Africa's rise in GDP and global stature, one subject dominated the conversation at the Global Forum, hosted by Fortune and Time and CNN this past week in Cape Town. That is: the economic potential of women.

Just about all the heavy-hitters -- Bill Clinton, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and various CEOs -- spoke of the essential role of women in bringing Africa to its  potential. "Who are the entrepreneurs?' MORE

Career counseling goes global in Silicon Valley

Guest Post by Katherine Kelly Lutton, Principal and Global Head of Litigation, Fish & Richardson PC

At last week's Fortune Most Powerful Women dinner in Washington, I found myself sandwiched between CNN National Political Correspondent Jessica Yellin and Jane Roberts, former litigator and law firm leader and wife of Chief Justice John Roberts. Jessica and Jane, meanwhile, were sitting between two mentees from Haiti—two courageous women among 33 who are part of MORE

Women in tech: More career advice

What has to happen in Silicon Valley to create more female entrepreneurs?

We began that conversation on Postcards on Monday, after reading "Out of the Loop in Silicon Valley" in Sunday's New York Times. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg chimed in on this site, saying that women tend to be as good at risk-taking as men when doing a deal or building a product. But career-wise, they tend to be more risk-averse, MORE